Khamti language: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Kra–Dai language spoken in Myanmar and India}}
{{Short description|Kra–Dai language spoken in India and Myanmar}}
{{Distinguish|Khanty languages}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|name=Khamti
| name             = Khamti
|nativename={{lang|kht|(တဲး)ၵမ်းတီႈ / (တဲး)ၵံးတီႈ}}
| nativename       = {{lang|kht|(တဲး)ၵမ်းတီႈ / (တဲး)ၵံးတီႈ}}<br>(Tai) Khamti
|region=[[Burma]], [[India]]
| region           = [[India]], [[Myanmar]]
|ethnicity=[[Khamti people]]
| ethnicity       = [[Khamti people|Khamti]]
|speakers=13,000
| speakers         = 13,000
|date=2000–2007
| date             = 2000–2007
|ref=e18
| ref             = e18
|familycolor=Kradai
| familycolor     = Kradai
|fam2=[[Tai languages|Tai]]
| fam2             = [[Tai languages|Tai]]
|fam3=[[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern]]
| fam3             = [[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern]]
|fam4=Northwestern
| fam4             = Northwestern
|iso3=kht
| iso3             = kht
|glotto=kham1290
| glotto           = kham1290
|glottorefname=Khamti
| glottorefname   = Khamti
|script=[[Burmese script]]<br />(Khamti variation, <br />called Lik-Tai)<ref name=diller>{{cite journal |last1=Diller |first1=Anthony |title=Tai languages in Assam: Daughters or Ghosts |date=1992 |pages=16|journal=Papers on Tai Languages, Linguistics and Literatures}}</ref>
| script           = [[Burmese script]]<br />(Khamti variation, <br />called Lik-Tai)<ref name=diller>{{cite journal |last1=Diller |first1=Anthony |title=Tai languages in Assam: Daughters or Ghosts |date=1992 |pages=16|journal=Papers on Tai Languages, Linguistics and Literatures}}</ref>
| map              = Khamti language.jpg
}}
}}
[[File:Tai Khampti diorama.JPG|thumb|Diorama and [[wax figures]] of Khamti people in [[Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar]].]]
[[File:Tai Khampti diorama.JPG|thumb|Diorama and [[wax figures]] of Khamti people in [[Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar]].]]


'''Khamti language''' is a [[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern Tai language]] spoken in Myanmar and India by the [[Khamti people]].
The '''Khamti language''' is a [[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern Tai language]] spoken in India and Myanmar by the [[Khamti people]]. It is closely related to the [[Shan language]].
 
==Name==
''Khamti'' has been variously rendered ''Hkamti'', ''Khampti'', ''Kam Ti'', ''Kamti'', ''Tai Kam Ti'', ''Tai-Khamti'', ''Khamti Shan'', ''Khampti Shan'', ''Khandi Shan'', ''Hkampti Shan'', and ''Khampti Sam'' ({{langx|my|ခန္တီးရှမ်းလူမျိုး}}).<ref name="Khamti Language Meta Data">{{cite web |title=Khamti |url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1425 |website=Endangered Languages Project |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613084215/http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1425 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The name "Khamti" translates to "place of gold", from ''kham'' 'gold' and ''-ti'' 'place'.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Tai-Khamti Phonology and Vocabulary |first=Alfons |last=Weidert |date=1977 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |pages=44, 61}}</ref>


==Demographics==
==Demographics==
In Burma, Khamti is spoken by 3,500 in [[Sagaing Region]], near [[Myitkyina]] and by 4,500 in [[Kachin State]], Putao District (both reported in 2000).  In India, it is spoken by 5,000 in [[Assam]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]], in the Dikrong Valley, Narayanpur, and north bank of the [[Brahmaputra]] (reported in 2007).{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
In Burma, Khamti is spoken by 3,500 near [[Myitkyina]] and by 4,500 in Putao District, [[Kachin State]] (both reported in 2000).  In India, it is spoken by 5,000 in [[Assam]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]], in the [[Dikrong River|Dikrong Valley]], [[Narayanpur, Assam|Narayanpur]], and north bank of the [[Brahmaputra]] (reported in 2007).{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}


Three dialects of Khamti are known: North Burma Khamti, Assam Khamti, and Sinkaling Khamti.  All speakers of Khamti are bilingual, largely in Assamese and Burmese.<ref name="Khamti Language Meta Data" />
Three dialects of Khamti are known: North Burma Khamti, Assam Khamti, and Sinkaling Khamti.  All speakers of Khamti are bilingual, largely in Assamese and Burmese.<ref name="Khamti Language Meta Data" />


==Name==
Possibly, there are also some Khamti in some parts of [[China]] (5,000 people).
"Khamti" has been variously rendered ''Hkamti, Khampti, Khamti Shan, Khampti Shan, Khandi Shan, Kam Ti, Tai Kam Ti, Tai-Khamti, Kamti, Hkampti Shan,'' and ''Khampti Sam''.<ref name="Khamti Language Meta Data">{{cite web|title=Khamti|url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1425|website=Endangered Languages Project|access-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> The name "Khamti" means "place of gold".


==History==
==History==
Line 35: Line 39:
==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Initial consonants===
===Initial consonants===
Khamti has the following initial consonants:<ref name=diller/><ref name="inglis2017">{{cite journal |last1=Inglis |first1=Douglas |title=Myanmar-based Khamti Shan Orthography |date=2017 |url=https://www.academia.edu/34791306| journal=Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society}}</ref>
Khamti has the following initial consonants:<ref name=diller/><ref name="inglis2017">{{cite journal |last1=Inglis |first1=Douglas |title=Myanmar-based Khamti Shan Orthography |date=2017 |url=https://www.academia.edu/34791306| journal=Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Weidert |first=Alfons |title=Tai-Khamti phonology and vocabulary |publisher=Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner |year=1977}}</ref>


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Line 96: Line 100:
|  
|  
|}
|}
Note: only the variety found in Myanmar uses the palatal nasal /ɲ/ and the rhotic /r/.<ref name=inglis2017/>
/c/ can be heard as [c] or [tʃ] across dialects. /s/ can also be heard as [ʃ].
 
Note: only the variety found in Myanmar uses the palatal nasal /ɲ/ and the rhotic /r/.<ref name="inglis2017" />


===Final consonants===
===Final consonants===
Line 135: Line 141:


===Vowels===
===Vowels===
The Khamti language as found in Myanmar uses the following vowels:<ref name=inglis2017/>
The Khamti language uses the following vowels:<ref name=inglis2017/><ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=1 rowspan=3 |
! colspan=1 rowspan=3 |
Line 153: Line 159:
|-
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA|i}}
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA|i:}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{IPA|ɯ}}
| {{IPA link|ɯ}}
| {{IPA|ɯ:}}
| {{IPA link|ɯː}}
| {{IPA|u}}
| {{IPA link|u}}
| {{IPA|u:}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA|e}}
| {{IPA link|e}}
|
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| {{IPA|ɤ}}
| {{IPA link|ɤ}}
|
| {{IPA|o}}
|  
|  
| {{IPA link|o}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA|ɛ}}
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}
|  
| {{IPA link|ɛː}}
| {{IPA|a}}
| {{IPA link|a}}
| {{IPA|a:}}
| {{IPA link|aː}}
| {{IPA|ɔ}}
| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
|  
| {{IPA link|ɔː}}
|-
|-
! [[Diphthong]]
! [[Diphthong]]
Line 184: Line 190:
|  
|  
|}
|}
/ɤ/ only appears in the dialect in Myanmar.<ref name="inglis2017" />


===Tones===
===Tones===
Line 196: Line 203:


====Common nouns====
====Common nouns====
Common nouns can pluralized by adding /nai1 khau/ behind the noun. Common nouns are class categorized by using classifiers such as the generic /an3/, /ko1/ for people and /to1/ for animals.<ref name="inglis"/>
Common nouns can pluralized by adding {{tone superscript|/nai1 khau/}} behind the noun. Common nouns are class categorized by using classifiers such as the generic {{tone superscript|/an3/, /ko1/}} for people and {{tone superscript|/to1/}} for animals.<ref name="inglis"/>


====Proper nouns====
====Proper nouns====
People's names and place names are classified as proper nouns. Khamti prefixes people's names, depending on the social class or status of that person. These prefixes are gender specific. The prefix for Miss is /na:ng4/ and the prefix for Mr is /tsa:i3/. A prefix for Mr used to respectfully address a male of higher status is /tsau2/ or /tsau2 nuai/.<ref name="inglis"/>
People's names and place names are classified as proper nouns. Khamti prefixes people's names, depending on the social class or status of that person. These prefixes are gender specific. The prefix for Miss is {{tone superscript|/na:ng4/}} and the prefix for Mr is {{tone superscript|/tsa:i3/}}. A prefix for Mr used to respectfully address a male of higher status is {{tone superscript|/tsau2/}} or {{tone superscript|/tsau2 nuai/}}.<ref name="inglis"/>


===Pronouns===
===Pronouns===
Khamti uses a triparte pronoun system, consisting of singular, dual and plural forms. The dual form and the first person plural form are further divided between inclusive and exclusive forms. The following set of pronouns are the pronouns found in the Khamti language:<ref name="inglis"/>
Khamti uses a triparte pronoun system, consisting of singular, dual and plural forms. The dual form and the first person plural form are further divided between inclusive and exclusive forms. The following set of pronouns are the pronouns found in the Khamti language:<ref name="inglis"/>
{|class="wikitable"
 
|-
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | !! colspan="2" | 1st person !! rowspan="2" | 2nd person !! rowspan="2" | 3rd person
! colspan="2" |
|-
! singular
! <small>inclusive</small> !! <small>exclusive</small>
! dual
! plural
|-
|-
! singular
! rowspan="2" | 1st person
| colspan="2" | /kau3/ || /maeu4/ || /man4/
! {{small|inclusive}}
| rowspan="2" | {{tone superscript|/kau3/}}
| {{tone superscript|/ha:4/}}
| {{tone superscript|/haw1/}}
|-
|-
! dual
! {{small|exclusive}}
| /ha:4/ || /hang4 khe:u/ || /suang khe:u/ || /suang kha:/
| {{tone superscript|/hang4 khe:u/}}
| {{tone superscript|/tu:3/}}
|-
|-
! plural
! colspan="2" | 2nd person
| /haw1/ || /tu:3/ || /su3/ || /khau/
| {{tone superscript|/maeu4/}}
| {{tone superscript|/suang khe:u/}}
| {{tone superscript|/su3/}}
|-
|-
! colspan="2" | 3rd person
| {{tone superscript|/man4/}}
| {{tone superscript|/suang kha:/}}
| {{tone superscript|/khau/}}
|}
|}


===Demonstratives===
===Demonstratives===
Khamti uses the following demonstratives:<ref name="inglis"/>
Khamti uses the following demonstratives:<ref name="inglis"/>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Demonstratives
!
! singular
! plural
|-
|-
! Demonstratives !! Singular !! Plural
! near
| {{tone superscript|/an3 nai1/}}<br>'this'
| {{tone superscript|/an3 nai1 nai1 khau/}}<br>'these'
|-
|-
| Near || /an3 nai1/, 'this' || /an3 nai1 nai1 khau/, 'these'
! approximate
| {{tone superscript|/amaeu4 nai1/}}<br>'that near you'
| {{tone superscript|/amaeu4 nai1 khau/}}<br>'those by you'
|-
|-
| Approximate || /amaeu4 nai1/, 'that near you' || /amaeu4 nai1 khau/, 'those by you'
! distal
|-
| {{tone superscript|/an3 pu:n nai1/}}<br>'that over there'
| Distal || /an3 pu:n nai1/, 'that over there' || /an3 pu:n nai1 nai1 khau/, 'those over there'
| {{tone superscript|/an3 pu:n nai1 nai1 khau/}}<br>'those over there'
|}
|}


==Writing system==
==Writing system==
{{See also|Burmese script|Burmese alphabet}}
{{See also|Mon–Burmese script}}
The Tai Khamtis have their own writing system called 'Lik-Tai', which they share with the [[Tai Phake people]] and [[Tai Aiton people]].<ref name=diller/> It closely resembles the Northern [[Shan script]] of Myanmar, which is a variant of the [[Burmese script]], with some of the letters taking divergent shapes.<ref name=inglis2017/> Their script is evidently derived from the [[Lik Tho Ngok]] script since hundreds of years ago. There are 35 letters including 17 consonants and 14 vowels. The script is traditionally taught in monasteries on subjects like [[Tripitaka]], [[Jataka tales]], code of conduct, doctrines and philosophy, history, law codes, astrology, and palmistry etc. The first printed book was published in 1960. In 1992 it was edited by the Tai Literature Committee, Chongkham. In 2003 it was again modified with tone marking by scholars of Northern Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
The Tai Khamtis have their own writing system called 'Lik-Tai', which they share with the [[Tai Phake people]] and [[Tai Aiton people]].<ref name=diller/> It closely resembles the Northern [[Shan script]] of Myanmar, which is a variant of the [[Mon–Burmese script]], with some of the letters taking divergent shapes.<ref name=inglis2017/> Their script is evidently derived from the [[Lik Tho Ngok]] script since hundreds of years ago. There are 35 letters including 17 consonants and 14 vowels. The script is traditionally taught in monasteries on subjects like [[Tripitaka]], [[Jataka tales]], code of conduct, doctrines and philosophy, history, law codes, astrology, and palmistry etc. The first printed book was published in 1960. In 1992 it was edited by the Tai Literature Committee, Chongkham. In 2003 it was again modified with tone marking by scholars of Northern Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}


===Consonants===
===Consonants===
<div lang=kht>
{| class="wikitable letters-table"
* က - ka - k - [k]
|-
* ၵ - kha - kh - [kʰ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=က|iso=ka|ipa=k}}
* ꩠ - ga - g - [g]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၵ|iso=kha|ipa=kʰ}}
* ၷ - gha - gh - [gʱ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩠ|iso=ga|ipa=ɡ}}
* င - nga - ng - [ŋ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၷ|iso=gha|ipa=ɡʱ}}
* ꩡ - ca - c - [t͡ʃ], [t͡s]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=င|iso=nga|ipa=ŋ}}
* ꩢ - cha - ch - [t͡ʃʰ]
|-
* ꩣ - ja - j - [ɟ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩡ|iso=ca|ipa=c}}
* ꩤ - jha - jh - [ɟʱ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩢ|iso=cha|ipa=cʰ}}
* ꩥ - nya - ny - [ɲ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩣ|iso=ja|ipa=ɟ}}
* ꩦ - ṭa - ṭ - [ʈ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩤ|iso=jha|ipa=ɟʱ}}
* ꩧ - ṭha - ṭh - [ʈʰ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩥ|iso=nya|ipa=ɲ}}
* ꩨ - ḍa - ḍ - [ɖ]
|-
* ꩩ - ḍha - ḍh - [ɖʱ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩦ|iso=ṭa|ipa=ʈ}}
* ၼ - ṇa - ṇ - [ɳ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩧ|iso=ṭha|ipa=ʈʰ}}
* တ - ta - t - [t]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩨ|iso=ḍa|ipa=ɖ}}
* ထ - tha - th - [tʰ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩩ|iso=ḍha|ipa=ɖʱ}}
* ၻ - da - d - [d]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၼ|iso=ṇa|ipa=ɳ}}
* ꩪ - dha - dh - [dʱ]
|-
* ꩫ - na - n - [n]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=တ|iso=ta|ipa=t}}
* ပ - pa - p - [p]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ထ|iso=tha|ipa=tʰ}}
* ၸ - pha - ph - [pʰ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၻ|iso=da|ipa=d}}
* ၿ - ba - b - [b]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩪ|iso=dha|ipa=dʱ}}
* ၹ - bha - bh - [bʱ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩫ|iso=na|ipa=n}}
* မ - ma - m - [m]
|-
* ယ - ya - y - [j]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ပ|iso=pa|ipa=p}}
* ꩳ or ရ - ra - r - [r~ɹ]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20162-notes-khamti.pdf |website=20162-notes-khamti.pdf |access-date=26 January 2021 |title=Notes on Khamti |author=Ben Mitchell}}</ref>
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၸ|iso=pha|ipa=pʰ}}
** ြ ([ɾ]) medially, such as ၸြႃ (phraa, "Buddha")
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၿ|iso=ba|ipa=b}}
* လ - la - l - [l]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၹ|iso=bha|ipa=bʱ}}
* ဝ - wa - w - [w~v]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=မ|iso=ma|ipa=m}}
* ꩬ - sa - s - [s]
|-
* ꩭ - ha - h - [h]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ယ|iso=ya|ipa=j}}
* ꩮ - ḷa - ḷ - [ɭ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch1=ꩳ|ch2=ရ|iso=ra|ipa=r~ɹ|notes=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20162-notes-khamti.pdf |website=20162-notes-khamti.pdf |access-date=26 January 2021 |title=Notes on Khamti |author=Ben Mitchell}}</ref>}}
* ꩯ - fa - f - [f]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=လ|iso=la|ipa=l}}
* ꩲ - za - z - [z]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ဝ|iso=wa|ipa=w~v}}
* ꩱ - xa - x - [x]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩬ|iso=sa|ipa=s}}
* ꩴ - oay - oay - [oaʲ]
|-
* ꩵ - qn - qn - [qⁿ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩭ|iso=ha|ipa=h}}
* ꩶ - hm - hm - [mʰ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩮ|iso=ḷa|ipa=ɭ}}
* ဢ - a - a - [ʔ]<ref name="Khamti alphabet and language">{{cite web |title=Khamti alphabet and language |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/khamti.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩯ|iso=fa|ipa=f}}
</div>
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩲ|iso=za|ipa=z}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩱ|iso=xa|ipa=x}}
|-
|
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩴ|iso=oay|ipa=oaʲ}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩵ|iso=qn|ipa=qⁿ}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ꩶ|iso=hm|ipa=mʰ}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ဢ|iso=a|ipa=ʔ}}  
|}


===Vowels===
===Vowels===
<div lang=kht>
{| class="wikitable letters-table"
* ႊ - a - [a]
|-
* ၢ - ā, aa - [aː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႊ|iso=a|ipa=a}}
* ႃ - ā - [aː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၢ|iso=ā|ipa=aː}}
* ိ - i - [i]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႃ|iso=ā|ipa=aː}}
* ီ - ī - [iː]
|-
* ု - u - [u]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ိ|iso=i|ipa=i}}
* ူ - ū - [uː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ီ|iso=ī|ipa=iː}}
* ေ - e - [eː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ု|iso=u|ipa=u}}
* ူဝ် - o - [oː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ူ|iso=ū|ipa=uː}}
* ဲ - ai - [ai]<ref>http://www.unicode.org/notes/tn11/UTN11_4.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
|-
* ၢဲ - aai - [aːi]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ေ|iso=e|ipa=eː}}
* ဝ် - au - [au]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ူဝ်|iso=o|ipa=oː}}
* ်ွ - au - [au]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ဲ|iso=ai|ipa=ai|notes=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unicode.org/notes/tn11/UTN11_4.pdf |access-date=12 March 2024 |title=Representing Myanmar in Unicode: Details and Examples Version 4 |website=Unicode |first=Martin |last=Hosken}}</ref>}}
* ၢဝ် - aau - [aːu]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၢဲ|iso=aai|ipa=aːi}}
* ံ - aṁ - [(a)ŋ̊]<ref name="Khamti alphabet and language"/>
|-
* ႄ - ae - [ɛ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ဝ်|iso=au|ipa=au}}
* ေႃ - aw - [ɔ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=်ွ|iso=au|ipa=au}}
* ွ - aw - [ɔ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ၢဝ်|iso=aau|ipa=aːu}}
*  ိဝ် - iu - [iu]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ံ|iso=aṁ|ipa=(a)ŋ̊|notes=<ref name="Khamti alphabet and language">{{cite web |title=Khamti alphabet and language |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/khamti.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>}}
* ႅ - ia - [ia]
|-
*  ႅဝ် - iau - [iau]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႄ|iso=ae|ipa=ɛ}}
* ျႃ - iaa - [iaː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ေႃ|iso=aw|ipa=ɔ}}
* ိူ - oe - [ɤ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ွ|iso=aw|ipa=ɔ}}
* ွဲ - oi - [oi]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch= ိဝ်|iso=iu|ipa=iu}}
*  ွ - ua - [ua]
|-
* ဴွ - uai - [uai]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႅ|iso=ia|ipa=ia}}
* ွႃ - uaa - [uaː]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႅဝ်|iso=iau|ipa=iau}}
* ေူ - ui - [ui]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ျႃ|iso=iaa|ipa=iaː}}
* ို - ue - [ɯ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ိူ|iso=oe|ipa=ɤ}}
*  ိုဝ် - uee - [ɯː]<ref>{{cite web |last1=INGLIS |first1=Douglas |title=Myanmar-based Khamti Shan Orthography |url=https://www.academia.edu/34791306/_2017_Myanmar_based_Khamti_Shan_Orthography |website=Academia.edu |publisher=Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society |access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>
|-
*  ုဝ် - uo - [wo]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ွဲ|iso=oi|ipa=oi}}
* ႂ် - aue - [aɯ]
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch= ွ|iso=ua|ipa=ua}}
* ိုဝ် - uea - [ɯa]</div>
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ဴွ|iso=uai|ipa=uai}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ွႃ|iso=uaa|ipa=uaː}}
|-
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ေူ|iso=ui|ipa=ui}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ို|iso=ue|ipa=ɯ}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ိုဝ်|iso=uee|ipa=ɯː|notes=<ref>{{cite journal |last1=INGLIS |first1=Douglas |title=Myanmar-based Khamti Shan Orthography |url=https://www.academia.edu/34791306 |journal=Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society |date=January 2017 |access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ုဝ်|iso=uo|ipa=wo}}
|-  
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ႂ်|iso=aue|ipa=aɯ}}
| {{letter|l=kht|s=Mymr|ch=ိုဝ်|iso=uea|ipa=ɯa}}
|}


===Tones and other diacritics===
===Tones and other diacritics===
Line 322: Line 367:


* tone 1 [21]:
* tone 1 [21]:
** for checked syllable, including single consonant - ဢႉ
** for checked syllable, including single consonant — ဢႉ
** for else - ဢႇ
** for else — ဢႇ
* tone 2 [34] - ဢႛ
* tone 2 [34] — ဢႛ
* tone 3 [42] - ဢႈ
* tone 3 [42] — ဢႈ
* tone 4 [53] - ဢး - In speaking, it may become [33].
* tone 4 [53] — ဢး — In speaking, it may become [33].
* tone 5:
* tone 5:
** for short open syllable - ဢႚ [44] (rare usage)
** for short open syllable — ဢႚ [44] (rare usage)
** for else - ဢ [55] (unmarked)
** for else — ဢ [55] (unmarked)
* ဢ် - [[Virama|asat]] - final consonant, silences inherent vowel<ref name="Khamti alphabet and language"/>
* ဢ် — [[Virama|asat]] — final consonant, silences inherent vowel<ref name="Khamti alphabet and language"/>
*  ꩰ - duplication
*  ꩰ — duplication
</div>
</div>
==References==
<references />


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190420224836/http://www.iitg.ac.in/rcilts/phaseI/languages/khamti.htm Thai Khamti Grammar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190420224836/http://www.iitg.ac.in/rcilts/phaseI/languages/khamti.htm Thai Khamti Grammar]
* {{cite thesis |title=A Grammar of Things and Situations in Tai Khamti |last=Borgohain |first=Trisha |publisher=Tezpur University |date=2019 |hdl=10603/460828 |type=Doctor of Philosophy |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/460828}}
* {{Cite thesis |title= A descriptive Grammar of Tai Khamti |last=Das |first=Bishakha |publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru University |date=2014 |hdl=10603/602434 |type=Doctor of Philosophy |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/602434}}
* Inglis, Douglas. (forthcoming) Khamti Shan anti-ergative construction: a Tibeto-Burman influence? Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 40(2).
* Inglis, Douglas. (forthcoming) Khamti Shan anti-ergative construction: a Tibeto-Burman influence? Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 40(2).
* Inglis, Douglas. 2014. [https://www.academia.edu/9831142/PhD_dissertation._This_here_thing_Specifying_Morphemes_an3_nai1_mai2_in_Tai_Khamti_Reference-point_Constructions This here thing: Specifying Morphemes an3, nai1, and mai2 in Tai Khamti Reference-point Constructions]. PhD Dissertation. The University of Alberta.
* Inglis, Douglas. 2014. [https://www.academia.edu/9831142/PhD_dissertation._This_here_thing_Specifying_Morphemes_an3_nai1_mai2_in_Tai_Khamti_Reference-point_Constructions This here thing: Specifying Morphemes an3, nai1, and mai2 in Tai Khamti Reference-point Constructions]. PhD Dissertation. The University of Alberta.
Line 341: Line 392:
* Inglis, Douglas. 2013. [https://www.academia.edu/12925697/Deictic_mai2_here_as_an_object_marker_in_Khamti_Shan_A_Tibeto-Burman_influence_in_TaiDeictic_mai2 Deictic mai2 'here' as an object marker in Khamti Shan: A Tibeto-Burman influence in Tai?]. Paper presented at ISCTLL46. Dartmouth College.
* Inglis, Douglas. 2013. [https://www.academia.edu/12925697/Deictic_mai2_here_as_an_object_marker_in_Khamti_Shan_A_Tibeto-Burman_influence_in_TaiDeictic_mai2 Deictic mai2 'here' as an object marker in Khamti Shan: A Tibeto-Burman influence in Tai?]. Paper presented at ISCTLL46. Dartmouth College.
* Inglis, Douglas. 2004. [https://www.academia.edu/7152885/Preliminary_report_Khamti_Shan_wordlist_and_lexicostatistical_results Preliminary report: Khamti Shan wordlist and lexicostatistical results]. Payap University. Chiang Mai.
* Inglis, Douglas. 2004. [https://www.academia.edu/7152885/Preliminary_report_Khamti_Shan_wordlist_and_lexicostatistical_results Preliminary report: Khamti Shan wordlist and lexicostatistical results]. Payap University. Chiang Mai.
 
* {{Cite book |last=Morey |first=Stephen |chapter=The Tai Languages of Assam |title=The Tai-Kadai languages |editor1=Anthony V. N. Diller |editor2=Jerold A. Edmondson |editor3=Yongxian Luo |series=Routledge language family series |publisher=Routledge |date=2008 |pages=207–253}}
==References==
* {{Cite book |title=Tai-Khamti Phonology and Vocabulary |first=Alfons |last=Weidert |date=1977 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag}}
<references />
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 354: Line 405:
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwjrhDojgs Tai Khamti Song - panlong sau]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwjrhDojgs Tai Khamti Song - panlong sau]


{{Tai-Kadai languages}}
{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}
{{Tai-Kadai languages}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Southwestern Tai languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Languages of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Languages of Arunachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Languages of Assam]]
[[Category:Languages of Assam]]
[[Category:Tai languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Arunachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Kra–Dai languages]]

Latest revision as of 23:46, 17 February 2026


Not to be confused with Khanty languages.
Khamti
(တဲး)ၵမ်းတီႈ / (တဲး)ၵံးတီႈ
(Tai) Khamti
RegionIndia, Myanmar
EthnicityKhamti
Native speakers
(13,000 cited 2000–2007)[1]
Kra–Dai
Burmese script
(Khamti variation,
called Lik-Tai)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3kht
Glottologkham1290
Diorama and wax figures of Khamti people in Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar.

The Khamti language is a Southwestern Tai language spoken in India and Myanmar by the Khamti people. It is closely related to the Shan language.

Name[edit | edit source]

Khamti has been variously rendered Hkamti, Khampti, Kam Ti, Kamti, Tai Kam Ti, Tai-Khamti, Khamti Shan, Khampti Shan, Khandi Shan, Hkampti Shan, and Khampti Sam (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.).[3] The name "Khamti" translates to "place of gold", from kham 'gold' and -ti 'place'.[4]

Demographics[edit | edit source]

In Burma, Khamti is spoken by 3,500 near Myitkyina and by 4,500 in Putao District, Kachin State (both reported in 2000). In India, it is spoken by 5,000 in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, in the Dikrong Valley, Narayanpur, and north bank of the Brahmaputra (reported in 2007).[citation needed]

Three dialects of Khamti are known: North Burma Khamti, Assam Khamti, and Sinkaling Khamti. All speakers of Khamti are bilingual, largely in Assamese and Burmese.[3]

Possibly, there are also some Khamti in some parts of China (5,000 people).

History[edit | edit source]

The language seems to have originated around Mogoung in Upper Burma.[5] Mung Kang was captured, a large group of Khamtis moved to the north and east of Lakhimpur. In the year 1850, 300–400 Khamtis settled in Assam.[6]

Phonology[edit | edit source]

Initial consonants[edit | edit source]

Khamti has the following initial consonants:[2][7][8]

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive Tenuis p t c k ʔ
Aspirated pʰ tʰ kʰ
Fricative s h
Lateral l
Rhotic r
Semi-vowel w j

/c/ can be heard as [c] or [tʃ] across dialects. /s/ can also be heard as [ʃ].

Note: only the variety found in Myanmar uses the palatal nasal /ɲ/ and the rhotic /r/.[7]

Final consonants[edit | edit source]

Khamti has the following final consonants:

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive Tenuis p t k ʔ
Semi-vowel w j

-[w] occurs after front vowels and [a]-, -[j] occurs after back vowels and [a]-.[2]

Vowels[edit | edit source]

The Khamti language uses the following vowels:[7][8]

Front Back
unr. unr. rnd.
short long short long short long
Close i iː ɯ ɯː u uː
Mid e eː ɤ o oː
Open ɛ ɛː a aː ɔ ɔː
Diphthong ia aɯ ua

/ɤ/ only appears in the dialect in Myanmar.[7]

Tones[edit | edit source]

Khamti uses five tones, namely: low falling /21/, mid rising /34/, mid falling /42/, high falling /53/~[33], and high level /55/~[44].[7]

Grammar[edit | edit source]

Syntax[edit | edit source]

Unlike other Tai languages that display SVO word order, Khamti has SOV word order.[9]

Nouns[edit | edit source]

Nouns are divided into common nouns and proper nouns.[10]

Common nouns[edit | edit source]

Common nouns can pluralized by adding Template:Tone superscript behind the noun. Common nouns are class categorized by using classifiers such as the generic Template:Tone superscript for people and Template:Tone superscript for animals.[10]

Proper nouns[edit | edit source]

People's names and place names are classified as proper nouns. Khamti prefixes people's names, depending on the social class or status of that person. These prefixes are gender specific. The prefix for Miss is Template:Tone superscript and the prefix for Mr is Template:Tone superscript. A prefix for Mr used to respectfully address a male of higher status is Template:Tone superscript or Template:Tone superscript.[10]

Pronouns[edit | edit source]

Khamti uses a triparte pronoun system, consisting of singular, dual and plural forms. The dual form and the first person plural form are further divided between inclusive and exclusive forms. The following set of pronouns are the pronouns found in the Khamti language:[10]

singular dual plural
1st person inclusive Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript
exclusive Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript
2nd person Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript
3rd person Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript Template:Tone superscript

Demonstratives[edit | edit source]

Khamti uses the following demonstratives:[10]

Demonstratives
singular plural
near Template:Tone superscript
'this' 		Template:Tone superscript
'these'
approximate Template:Tone superscript
'that near you' 		Template:Tone superscript
'those by you'
distal Template:Tone superscript
'that over there' 		Template:Tone superscript
'those over there'

Writing system[edit | edit source]

See also: Mon–Burmese script

The Tai Khamtis have their own writing system called 'Lik-Tai', which they share with the Tai Phake people and Tai Aiton people.[2] It closely resembles the Northern Shan script of Myanmar, which is a variant of the Mon–Burmese script, with some of the letters taking divergent shapes.[7] Their script is evidently derived from the Lik Tho Ngok script since hundreds of years ago. There are 35 letters including 17 consonants and 14 vowels. The script is traditionally taught in monasteries on subjects like Tripitaka, Jataka tales, code of conduct, doctrines and philosophy, history, law codes, astrology, and palmistry etc. The first printed book was published in 1960. In 1992 it was edited by the Tai Literature Committee, Chongkham. In 2003 it was again modified with tone marking by scholars of Northern Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh.[citation needed]

Consonants[edit | edit source]

Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter

Vowels[edit | edit source]

Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter Template:Letter
Template:Letter Template:Letter

Tones and other diacritics[edit | edit source]

Displaying with the dummy letter ဢ,

  • tone 1 [21]:
    • for checked syllable, including single consonant — ဢႉ
    • for else — ဢႇ
  • tone 2 [34] — ဢႛ
  • tone 3 [42] — ဢႈ
  • tone 4 [53] — ဢး — In speaking, it may become [33].
  • tone 5:
    • for short open syllable — ဢႚ [44] (rare usage)
    • for else — ဢ [55] (unmarked)
  • ဢ် — asat — final consonant, silences inherent vowel[11]
  • ꩰ — duplication

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Khamti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Diller, Anthony (1992). "Tai languages in Assam: Daughters or Ghosts". Papers on Tai Languages, Linguistics and Literatures: 16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Khamti". Endangered Languages Project. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Weidert, Alfons (1977). Tai-Khamti Phonology and Vocabulary. Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 44, 61.
  5. ↑ "Khamti". Khamti - A Language of Siamese-Chinese sub-family. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Needham, J.F. (1894). Outline Grammar of the Khamti Language. Government Printing, Burma.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Inglis, Douglas (2017). "Myanmar-based Khamti Shan Orthography". Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Weidert, Alfons (1977). Tai-Khamti phonology and vocabulary. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  9. ↑ Wilaiwan Kanittanan. 1986. Kamti Tai: From an SVO to an SOV language. In Bhadriraju Krishnamurti (ed.), South Asian Languages: Structure, Convergence and Diglossia, 174-178. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Inglis, Douglas (2007). "Nominal Structure in Tai Khamti". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Khamti alphabet and language

Further reading[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:Tai-Kadai languages Template:Languages of Burma

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